C-Section or Not

[Eveline 9]

Having witnessed 2 C-sections I would say that they are not as bad as they appear. But the decision vs natural should be your doctor's call. If you have a C-section, every pregnancy after will need to be handled by C-section.

not true

Often true. Depends mostly on the hospital and the provider group. My hospital does not offer VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarian). There are some situations where having one C-section means all other deliveries will be C-section, if it's a classical (the incision in the uterus goes up and down), which is pretty uncommon.

I'm glad my doc supports a VBAC to a certain point and so does my hospital. Unfortunately - and even though they say it's not like that no more - the motto still ist "once a c/section, always a c/section".

I hope Croatia will improve over the next few days. There's very little of the 'booze' that really gets into the baby or breastmilk after a c/s and I was encouraged to nurse my son after 4 hours (as soon as I was able to move my legs again). Luckily, he latched right on and was a 'natural'. Also, my hospital encouraged rooming in with the baby and I didn't give him to anybody else during my stay at the hospital except for my husband.

Edited July 7, 2008 by Eveline

[Marlita 0]

Well it sounds like Croatia needs to get with the program. Here in the US you can breastfeed and all that jazz within the 1st day. Not to mention that it takes to baby awhile to latch on anyway so they may not be sucking anything during those 1st 24 hours anyway.

That's true but I still wouldn't want a C section. I don't like my muscles getting cut if I can do anything to prevent it.

In Croatia, a normal labour looks like this:

You come in and say you're in labour. They sign you up, take your info, take you to bed. They will shave you completely if you haven't shaved yourself. Then they will give you something that will make you go to the toilette as if you had diarrhoea, to "clean you". I can't remember the english word for this. After all this is done, they'll usually put you on a bed and make you lay in one position while they monitor the contractions. If they're far apart they might let you walk down the hall. If not, you're probably staying in that bed. In the lying position on your back pretty much the whole time. At some point, they will burst your .... Umm what do you call it? When women say "My water broke"? Anyway, they'll burst that "bag" which holds the child and the amniotic fluid and they'll give you something we here call "drip". I don't know what you call it but it's like fake oxytocyn and it's used to make your contractions stronger. Also, women say they're more painful.

When time for pushing comes, they will usually try to get it over with asap. So, you'll have a doctor preforming an episiotomy even though it isn't needed, just to speed things up and to "prevent you from tearing". Yeah, our doctors like to cut your skin to prevent it from tearing naturally. You'll be told to push and a doctor might lean on your stomach, to "help you push the baby out". When it's done, you get to see the baby for a few minutes and then they'll take it away. Someone will put stitches and make a joke about putting a few extra ones "for your husband, he'd like that *wink wink*". Oh, about your husband, sometimes they'll let him be with you. Sometimes only for one part of the procedure. "We'll call him later when the real fun begins, ma'am. You're hours away from pushing" They require the father to have a certificate that he passed some kind of pregnancy course. Some hospitals accept only their own certificates, and the course has to be paid for, 80 bucks.

You have to spent 2 hours "on observation" and you're not with you child. They take you to a room where you can have something to eat if you're lucky enough that dinner/lunch/breakfast are being served now. If not, bummer. The baby will be brought to you several times a day "for breastfeeding". They bring it when they want, not when it's crying, and when the baby is crying they just give it formula to keep it quiet so you often get your child fed and asleep and you have breasts that are about to burst because they're full of milk. During the night your child is not with you, "so you could get some sleep". Every morning you have to show your ####### to a bunch of doctors that come in to "check up on you". Usually it's a really short peak and a question about your bleeding. 3 days after the birth, you can go home.

I have to say that the situation is getting better. There are some baby friendly hospitals. There are some hospitals with rooming in (I don't know if you call it like this, but this is what we say when the baby is with it's mom all the time). There are not enough of those hospitals! I can think of only 3 hospitals where moms reported it's better than this, but still not ideal. They have baths for giving birth though, and pilates balls, and some chairs for giving birth so that's good. But still... what I described above is considered "normal" here. And it's so far away from normal...

Oh Dear!! This sounds absolutely crazy. Nothing like that hear in US hospitals....well most of it anyway.

During the night your child is not with you, "so you could get some sleep".

On some level, that does make sense. My daughter did nothing but sleep for 23.5 hours a day the first three days. The woman who's newborn also roomed in with us did nothing but scream every 20 minutes. I wanted to throw that kid out the window. I wished they would have at least taken it out at night or moved me or something.

Man! I didnt think about that one...with having a roommate and her baby crying all night. The hospitals near me all have private rooms.

[Marlita 0]

Having witnessed 2 C-sections I would say that they are not as bad as they appear. But the decision vs natural should be your doctor's call. If you have a C-section, every pregnancy after will need to be handled by C-section.

not true

Often true. Depends mostly on the hospital and the provider group. My hospital does not offer VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarian). There are some situations where having one C-section means all other deliveries will be C-section, if it's a classical (the incision in the uterus goes up and down), which is pretty uncommon.

I'm glad my doc supports a VBAC to a certain point and so does my hospital. Unfortunately - and even though they say it's not like that no more - the motto still ist "once a c/section, always a c/section".

I hope Croatia will improve over the next few days. There's very little of the 'booze' that really gets into the baby or breastmilk after a c/s and I was encouraged to nurse my son after 4 hours (as soon as I was able to move my legs again). Luckily, he latched right on and was a 'natural'. Also, my hospital encouraged rooming in with the baby and I didn't give him to anybody else during my stay at the hospital except for my husband.

One of my sisters in a nurse and told me of this lady who has had 6 C-Sections!!! OMG!! I didn't know that was possible. She was like you can have CS after CS after CS if they are done right.

[Mommy2ZaidnSalma 11]

im not surprised...my cousin is having her 5th csection in september, and it will be her 2nd one in 12 months...after her 4th she had an IUD put in and woops got pregnant when her new baby was only 7 weeks old...the day after the section, her hubby is getting "clipped"....

PS....they have 5 girls!!! i couldnt even imagine

[bailey402 0]

I have nothing against C-sections cuz I had 4. My first two was emergency c- sections cause the cord was wrap around there neck and every time I had a contraction there heart rate went down. When I got pregnant the thirth and this last time we just planned a c section.

I dont have a nasty scare. This last time having Jr they cut me in a little different way and I healed up well and fast.